New Pinal County unit targets drug smuggling

Babeu forms armed posse

A controversial effort to place armed volunteers on the U.S.-Mexico border has been resurrected 70 miles north of the international line.

Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu and Sen. Sylvia Allen, R-Snowflake, announced the formation Wednesday of an anti-smuggling posse to help deputies combat drug smuggling.

Members of the armed, all-volunteer posse will not patrol or make arrests. Instead, Babeu said, they will focus on surveillance and intelligence gathering at the direction of a multijurisdictional SWAT team led by the Sheriff's Office. They will assist law enforcement as needed.

Posse members will "be the eyes and the ears to support all of the efforts of our SWAT and our tactical efforts in the western part of Pinal County," Babeu said. "Largely, they will be armed ... not only as a posture of strength but also to defend and protect themselves."

This new group is an addition to Babeu's existing armed posse, whose activities include transporting prisoners and assisting deputies on patrol.

Babeu, a Republican who rose to prominence as a border-enforcement hawk, said the posse is another effort to compensate for the federal government's failure to secure the border. Although not on the border, Pinal County is a major smuggling corridor.

His new posse in some ways mirrors legislation Allen sponsored earlier this year to require Gov. Jan Brewer to establish an armed volunteer state guard on the border. Senate Bill 1083 passed in the Senate but stalled in the House. Critics listed liability and training as chief concerns.

"It was to create a pool of trained individuals who would be available for local law enforcement to use to have more boots on the ground, more eyes on the ground, especially in intelligence gathering," Allen said Wednesday, defending the bill. "There just isn't the money in our state to provide this, but there's a lot of capable ex-law-enforcement and military individuals in our state who, through proper training and (organization), could be very efficiently used and be very valuable to us."

Babeu said "hundreds and hundreds" of concerned residents have expressed interest in being part of the anti-smuggling posse, but his office has deliberately sought out recruits with a military or law-enforcement background. The sheriff declined to reveal how many members they have to date, but he said they've been successful in their recruitment efforts.

As for cost, Babeu didn't have an exact amount. He said the office had enough firearms and equipment to outfit the posse, but any additional costs would be absorbed by the current budget.

The Sheriff's Office has exceeded its general-fund allotment two years running.

Posse members must pass a full background investigation and will receive at least 100 hours of training, including tactical and weapons training and the basics of constitutional law.

"Anything less than full and complete law enforcement training is inadequate for this type of dangerous work," Campbell said. "It will put the volunteers and the law enforcement agents they are working with in jeopardy. This is irresponsible. Instead, we should be ensuring that law-enforcement agencies have the tools and the resources needed to protect our communities and to ensure the safety of the agents and officers."

Reach the reporter at lindsey.collom@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-7851.